Zephaniah 1:4-5
New International Version
4 “I will stretch out my hand(A) against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(B)
the very names of the idolatrous priests(C)—
5 those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,(D)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molek,[a](E)
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
Zephaniah 1:4-5
New Living Translation
4 “I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist
and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship.
I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests,
so that even the memory of them will disappear.
5 For they go up to their roofs
and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars.
They claim to follow the Lord,
but then they worship Molech,[a] too.
Footnotes
- 1:5 Hebrew Malcam, a variant spelling of Molech; or it could possibly mean their king.
Zephaniah 1:4-5
Amplified Bible
4
“I will also stretch out My hand [in judgment] against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will cut off and destroy the remnant of [a]Baal from this place,
And the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests,
5
And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] [b]on their housetops
And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:4 One of the major male gods of Canaan. His female consort was Asherah.
- Zephaniah 1:5 The flat roofs of the houses were often used as convenient places of planetary worship (i.e. Sabeanism, astrology).
Zephaniah 1:4-5
American Standard Version
4 And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarim with the priests; 5 and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by [a]Malcam;
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Zephaniah 1:5 Or, their king
Zephaniah 1:4-6
The Message
4-6 “I’ll start with Judah
and everybody who lives in Jerusalem.
I’ll sweep the place clean of every trace
of the sex-and-religion Baal shrines and their priests.
I’ll get rid of the people who sneak up to their rooftops at night
to worship the star gods and goddesses;
Also those who continue to worship God
but cover their bases by worshiping other king-gods as well;
Not to mention those who’ve dumped God altogether,
no longer giving him a thought or offering a prayer.
* * *
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